"Do Not Approach Under Any Circumstances": Wooden Box Landmines Floating off Ganghwa Coast Trigger Emergency Alert

With North Korean wooden box landmines, presumed to have been washed away by torrential rains late last month, being discovered consecutively along the coast of Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, special vigilance is urged for tourists and residents visiting coastal areas during the peak vacation season.

According to Ganghwa-gun, Incheon today (August 7), a report was filed by an angler on July 27 near the pier of Hwangcheon Port in Naega-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, stating that a "suspicious object is floating in the sea."

Dispatched upon receiving the report, military authorities discovered three wooden box landmines floating in the water and retrieved them.

While one of them was an empty box, the remaining two were confirmed to be active wooden box landmines, which the military safely disposed of through controlled detonation.

On July 24, soldiers on patrol found one wooden box landmine on the coast of Seodo-myeon, and on the same day, another wooden box landmine washed ashore was captured on a military closed-circuit (CC) TV on the coast of Gyodong-myeon.

Including these, a total of 12 wooden box landmines have been found across the Ganghwa-gun area from July 24 until yesterday.

Ganghwa-gun and military authorities presume that landmines washed away by heavy rainfall in North Korea have drifted along ocean currents to the coast of Ganghwa Island.

In particular, as coastal tourists increase during the vacation season and with the possibility of additional wooden box landmines drifting in, military authorities and local governments are closely monitoring safety management.

The Republic of Korea Marine Corps 2nd Division has launched search operations for washed-away landmines and hazardous objects, focusing on Ganghwa Island and other western islands, major beaches, and coastal areas.

The military plans to conduct intensive day-and-night searches in ports, harbors, civilian-accessible open areas, coastal zones, and beaches where the possibility of displaced landmines is high.

Ganghwa-gun has installed safety warning banners across 42 sections of coastal tourist sites and ports throughout Ganghwa Island, and is conducting safety awareness campaigns through village broadcasting systems.

An official from Ganghwa-gun stated, "As wooden box landmines are being discovered consecutively, tourists and residents visiting coastal tourist spots and the Ganghwa Nadeulgil trails must never approach or touch suspicious objects if found, and should report them immediately." They added, "We will do our utmost to create a safe tourism environment in cooperation with military authorities."

(Photo: Yonhap News / Provided by Marine Corps 2nd Division)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.